Gripping device in machine for handling tobacco



Aug. 14, 1934. K. GRANSTEDT GRIPPING- DEVICE IN MACHINE FOR HANDLING TOBACCO Filed NOV. 20, 1931 Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNETED STATES GRIPPING DEVICE llN MACHINE F HANDLING TOBACCO Karl Erik Granstedt, Stockholm, Swcdem'assigner to Akticbolaget'liormator, Stockholm, Sweden, a Swedish joint-stock company Application November 20, 1931 Serial No. 576,393

In Sweden December 23, 1930 12 Claims.

The present invention relates to such devices for the transfer of tobacco or the like in portions from a store reservoirto a discharge place, where the portioning is effected by means of a Q mechanically driven pincher shaped gripping member.

As these devices have hitherto been made the legs of the gripping member are guided and arranged so that they .are'always brought together to a predetermined degree. This involves the disadvantage of the tobacco portions being pressed to varying degrees in proportion to the varying size of the portions. On account of this the tobacco is often crumbled and the quality of the finished tobacco product is deteriorated. Further the machine is damaged and worn on account of the high pressure on the bearings simultaneously involved in the driving mechanism. Another disadvantage is that, if the tobacco por- 120 tion is unequally divided between the legs of the gripping member, different parts of the portion are pressed to different extent.

These disadvantages are eliminated by the present invention thereby that the legs of the ripping member or one of these legs or some part of the driving mechanism, i. e. the device transmitting the movement to the legs from a driving member, are springy or acted by springs or equivalent device in the way that the legs to a certain extent yield to the resistance of a tobacco portion, gripped by the gripping member, against the legs being brought together. An embodiment of the invention is shown on the annexed drawing. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a gripping member according to the in vention and some parts of the movement transmitting device. Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, show side views of the gripping member, completely closed and completely open. Fig. 4 showsxthe gripping member holding a tobacco portion. Fig. 5shows a modification. The devices serving to support, close and open the gripping member and to transfer it between a tobacco reservoir and a discharge place for the portions, are for this .em-' bodiment considered to be of the kind described in the U. S. A. Patent No. 1,619,507. From this it is clear that the gripping member is supported by a lever 4, which is rotatably journaled on a carrying shaft and arranged so that no; it obtains a motion between a collecting place and a discharge place. By means of a pivoted lever 12 and a rod 29 between this lever and a point beside the carrying shaft the gripping member is forced to take a vertical position during its motion. The legs of the gripping member are opened and closed by the lever 14 operating shaft 22 of one of the legs through the intermediary of a rod 25, the lever 14 being rigidly secured to the. carrying shaft. Shafts 22 and 22a-of-the legs are provided with gears18, intermeshing with each other, so that the legs move uniformly.

For the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-4, to each of the shafts 22, 22c, rotatably journaled on the'carrying lever 4 of the gripping member, a leg holder 21 and 21a is rigidly secured. With each holder 21, 21a, two leg sections or gripper plates 19, 20 and 19a, 28a are respectively pivotally connected. Round pivoted spiral springs 23, suitably one for each section, are provided, which tend to bring the gripper plates belonging to the one leg against the corresponding gripper plates of the second leg, and which thus make the grip per plates yield to powers, tending to counteract their being closed. Normally the gripper plates rest against shoulders 24 arranged on holders 21, 21a.

At one end the rod 25 is rigidly connected to the shaft 22 of the one gripper leg and at its other end pivotally connected to lever 14. When a tobacco portion is delivered, shaft 22 is turned by lever 14, and thereby also shaft 22a as well as the leg holders 21, 21a, secured to said shafts, from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3. Thereby the gripper plates are brought along by the shoulders 24, so that they are opened. When the gripper plates are moved down into the mass of tobacco resting in the reservoir to grip a new portion, they have the position shown in Fig. 3. When the gripper plates have moved down into the mass of tobacco to the depth wanted, the lever 14 operates the gripping member so that the leg holders 21, 21a, are brought against each other and forced to take the position shown in Fig. 2. If the tobacco portion gripped by the gripper plates is too large, the gripper plates will not return to the position shown in Fig. 2, but they will stop at an intermediate position (Fig. 4) whereby the tobacco portion is kept by the spring pressure acting upon the'plates.

It is obvious, that the number of gripper plates can vary as wanted, i. e. each leg maybe-provided with more than two gripper plates or it may have only one gripper plate. It may also be that one gripper leg consists of one single gripper plate, 1

rigidly or turnably connected with holder 21, whereas the second leg consists of a plurality of gripper plates, turnably or springily connected with their holder. This division of the legs into a plurality of sections is advantageous, because if the tobacco portion, which is made to rest between the legs in the reservoir, at the downward motion of the gripping member into the reservoir is unequally divided in the direction parallel with the shafts of the legs, there is no risk that cer tain parts of the said portion are not collected, or that the collected tobacco portion is pressed unequally hard at different places.

It is obvious that the yielding action eifected by springs 23 also can be attained in other ways. Thus the legs may themselves be springy and may then eventually be provided with slots, dividing the legs in sections. Further instead of springs counterweights may be arranged so that they tend to return the gripper plates in the direction towards each other. Further it may be that the gripper plates are formed in such a way andgiven such weight that their own mass will effect the yielding action. 7 r

The wanted springiness may also be attained thereby that some of the members, transmitting the motion to the gripper legs are springy or connected with each other in another yielding way. An example of such a device is shown in Fig. 5. The rod 25 rigidly connected at its one end to the shaft 22 is at its other end provided with a pin 26, running in slot 2'7 of lever 14. To the pin 26 or rod 25 is connected one end of a helical spring 28, the other end of which is connected to the lever 14. The gripping member is forcibly opened by actuating the upper edge of the slot 2'? against the pin 26. The closing of the gripping member, on the other hand, is effected yieldingly through the intermediaryof the spring 28. It may also be that the legs instead of being rigidly secured to the shafts 22 and 22a are turnably arranged and operated by shafts through the intermediary of spiral Springstending to turn the free ends of the legs in the direction against each other.

What I claim is:-

' 1. In a device for transferring tobacco mass, a mechanism adapted to grasp a portion of said tobacco mass, said mechanism having legs forming a pincher, and mechanical means positively connected to said legs for opening and closing them, said legs yielding to a certain extent to stresses which oppose closing movements imparted to them by said mechanical means.

2. In a device for transferring tobacco mass, a mechanism adapted to grasp a portion of said tobacco mass, said mechanism having two oppositely disposed legs, and mechanical means positively connected to said legs for opening and closing them, one ofsaid legs yielding to a certain extent to stresses which oppose closing -movements imparted to' them by saidmechanical means.

3. Ina device for transferring tobacco, a mech-' anism adapted to grasp a portion of the tobacco, said mechanism having legs forming a pincher and mechanical means for opening and closing the legs, said means including a resilient element whereby said mechanical means may yield to a certain extent to stresses which oppose closing movements imparted by them to the legs.

- 4. In a device for transferring tobacco, a

pincher-shaped gripping member having legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs, said legs being divided into a number of sections yielding independent of each other to a certain extent to stresses tending to oppose the closing of the legs.

5. In a device for transferring tobacco, a

pincher-shaped gripping member having legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs, part of said legs being divided into a number of sections yielding independent of each other to a certain extent to stresses tending to oppose the closing of the legs.

6. In a device for transferring tobacco, a pincher-shaped gripping member having two oppositely disposed legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs, one of said legs being divided into a number of sections yielding independent of each other to a certain extent to stresses tending to oppose the closing of the legs. I '7. In a device for transferring tobacco, a pincher-shaped gripping member having legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs,- each leg including a holder, a gripper plate hingedly connected to its holder and a spring tending to turn oppositely disposed gripper plates against each other.

8. In a device for transferring tobacco, a pincher-shaped gripping member having legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs, each leg including a holder, a gripper plate hingedly connected to its holder and a spring tending to turn oppositely disposed gripper plates againsteach other, said holder's having shoulders for limiting the inward movement of said gripper plates.

9. In a device for transferring tobacco, a pincher-shaped gripping member having legs, and mechanical means for opening and closing said legs, each leg including a holder, several gripper plates being hingedly connected to one of the holders and movable independent of each other, and springs tending to turn oppositely disposed gripper plates against each other.

10. In a device for transferring tobacco mass, a mechanism adapted to grasp a portion of said tobacco mass, said mechanism having legs forming a pincher, and mechanical means for opening and closing the legs, said legs including a plurality of pivotally connected sections.

11. In a device for transferring tobacco mass, a mechanism adapted to grasp a portion of said tobacco mass,said mechanism having legs forming a pincher, and mechanical means for opening and closing the legs, said legs including resilient means yielding to stresses which oppose closing movements imparted to them by said mechanical means. I

12. In a devicefor transferring tobacco mass, a mechanism adapted to grasp a portion'of said tobacco mass, said mechanism having legs forming a pincher, and mechanical means for'opening and closing the legs, said legs being flexible to yield to stresses which opposeclosing movements imparted to them by said mechanical means. I T

KARL ERIK GRANSTEDT'. 

